OHMYGOSSIP — Dolly Parton has enlisted A-list stars to collaborate on her new rock album including Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John.
The country queen has put together an epic 30-track record called ‘Rockstar’ which features 42 guest artists, nine original tracks and 21 cover versions of classics including the Beatles’ ‘ Let It Be’ which features McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr as well as Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood.
Dolly said of her first ever rock record: “I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album ‘Rockstar’.
“I am very honoured and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure.”
On the album, she also sings ‘Heart of Glass’ with Blondie’s Debbie Harry, ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ with Sir Elton John and The Police classic ‘Every Breath You Take’ with Sting.
Dolly tackles Led Zeppelin anthem ‘Stairway to Heaven’ with Lizzo and teams up with Pink and Brandi Carlile for a version of Rolling Stones hit ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’.
Dolly also sings ‘Wrecking Ball’ with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus and other collaborators including Stevie Nicks, Simon Le Bon, Steven Tyler, Joan Jett, Michael McDonald, Pat Benatar, Chris Stapleton and members of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
She also covers Queen’s ‘We Are the Champions’ and Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ solo.
Dolly previously hinted at plans for a rock album last year when she declined a nomination to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
When turning down the induction, she said: “I don’t feel that I have earned that right [to be inducted]… This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock’n’roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do!”
Dolly later accepted the honour, saying: “It was always my belief that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was for the people in rock music, and I have found out lately that it’s not necessarily that.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Ed Sheeran would love to become a country singer.
The pop megastar loves the whole “culture” of country music and would love to “transition” into the genre.
He told Billboard before taking to the stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas on Thursday night (11.05.23): “I talk about this to my wife [Cherry Seaborn] all the time. I would love to transition into country.
“I love the culture of it, I just love the songwriting. It’s just like brilliant songs.”
The ‘Bad Habits’ hitmaker made his live debut at the star-studded bash, duetting with Luke Combs on Ed’s song ‘Life Goes On’ from his latest LP ‘Subtract’.
And he’s even lived in Nashville, the home of country, and music in general.
He said: “It’s like a community. There’s not really a place in Europe where you could point and say, ‘That’s the home of songwriting.’
“It’s not just for country music. Nashville is just a hub of incredible songwriters, incredible performers. And I really felt inspired just being there being around everyone.”
Ed’s pal Taylor Swift, 33, got him into country music.
He said: “I’d never really listened to country music as a kid growing up. It was only being on Taylor’s Red tour and living in Nashville and her basically introducing me to that side of it.”
The 32-year-old musician has tipped Luke to follow in his footsteps and become a sell-out stadium star in the UK.
He added: “Luke Combs could probably play a stadium in England. I think if he put on Wembley [Stadium] next summer, he could sell it.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Thirty Seconds To Mars will release new album ‘It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day’ later this year.
The ‘Stuck’ rockers – who revealed their latest single on Monday (08.05.23) – have announced plans for their first LP since 2018’s ‘America’.
As confirmed this week, the new collection will be released in September 2023.
The band announced the exciting news alongside the video for ‘Stuck’, which also marks their first new material of any kind in half a decade.
Frontman Jaret Leto – who directed the video – said in a statement: “Thanks to my incredibly creative mother, my brother and I were instilled with a love for art and photography from a very young age.
“The video for STUCK, our first new song in five years, is a love letter to some of my favorite photographers.
“Artists who made a very deep impact on me like Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe, Diane Arbus, Herb Ritts and more.”
Jared described the promo as a “love letter to the power of movement and connection”.
He added: “The video for STUCK is very much a companion piece and a continuation of a journey started with ‘Up In The Air’, a celebration of art, design, fashion, and the remarkable people who bring them to life.
“It is a love letter to the power of movement and connection, a testament to the awe-inspiring potential of people who don’t necessarily fit so neatly in – but make the world so much more fascinating.”
Before the release of ‘America’ – which featured the likes of Halsey and A$AP Rocky – the ‘Walk on Water’ hitmaker admitted it would likely be a long time before they put out another record.
He said at the time: “We’re really slow at putting albums out.
“I don’t mean we’re never putting music out again but this may be the last album at least for a while, until I feel I need a collection of songs to say something.”

‘It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day’ tracklist

1. ‘Stuck’
2. ‘Life is Beautiful’
3. ‘Seasons’
4. ‘Get Up Kid’
5. ‘Love These Days’
6. ‘World On Fire’
7. ‘7 to 1’
8. ‘Never Not Love You’
9. ‘Midnight Prayer’
10. ‘Lost These Days’
11. ‘Avalanche’

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Take That are “back for good” after reuniting at King Charles’ Coronation Concert.
The ‘Back For Good’ trio – comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen – put on a spectacular performance at the historical show at Windsor Castle on Sunday (07.05.23).
They gave the live debut of their re-record of their 2008 number one hit ‘Greatest Day’ with Calum Scott and DJ Robin Schulz joining them onstage, and also performed fan-favourites ‘Shine’ and ‘Never Forget’.
And they’ve since promised fans they have “much more to come”.
Alongside a clip of their performance, they wrote on Instagram: “It was incredible to perform live together again for the first time in 4 years and there is so much more to come. We’re back for good.”
The new version of ‘Greatest Days’, which is out now, marks the group’s first new music since their ‘Odyssey Greatest Hits’ album in 2018, and they are delighted to be celebrating one of their “biggest singles”.
Take That said: “‘Greatest Day’ is a special song for us – it was one of our biggest singles, and our 11th No.1.
“It’s been fantastic being in the studio working on the new version of the track with Calum and Robin, both such talented artists.
“With the movie ‘Greatest Days’ coming out this summer we wanted to do something special with the title track and we were really excited that Calum and Robin agreed to be involved.
“They have been brilliant! We’re really excited for everyone to hear it.”
Before playing the concert as three, fans wildly speculated that a reunion of the original line-up could be on the cards “soon”.
The pop group have performed as a three-piece since the 2014 departure of Jason Orange, but a social media post by the ‘Relight My Fire’ hitmakers led many to believe that all five members were getting back together.
Robbie Williams also vacated the band in 1995, a year before their original split.
The official Instagram of the group posted footage of the five-piece performing 1995 hit ‘Never Forget’ with the caption: “Never forget we will have fun like this again… someday soon.”
However, it appears it will just be the three of them for now.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Niall Horan would want his doppelganger pal Allen Leech or Hollywood heartthrob Leonard DiCaprio to play him in a One Direction biopic.
If there is ever a movie about the popular boy band – which was also comprised of Harry Styles, 29, Louis Tomlinson, 31, Liam Payne, 29, and formerly, Zayn Malik, 30 – the 29-year-old singer would like fellow Irishman Allen, 41, who he is often compared to, or the 48-year-old ‘Titanic’ star to portray him.
Speaking to ET Canada, Niall said: “Currently, it would be Allen Leech from ‘Downton Abbey’.
“I met him in a coffee shop in LA one time and we were just doing the whole, ‘We look like each other.’
“Him or [Leonardo] DiCaprio. One of them.”
It comes after Allen tipped Niall to play a young Tom Branson – his role in the period drama – if there is ever a spin-off of ‘Downton Abbey’.
Speaking to movies.ie, he said: “A spin-off, or we go back in time, and Niall Horan could play young Branson; everyone keeps saying we look alike.”
In a 2013 appearance on ‘Watch What Happens Live’, Allen was asked about being compared to the ‘Heaven’ singer and quipped: “He’s my son.”
He jokingly continued: “I had him really young. I had the choice to give him to the circus or a boy band, I chose a boy band. He’s done much better there because his backflips are terrible.”
Meanwhile, Niall previously said he would only want to be part of a One Direction reunion if everyone was “completely” up for it.
The ‘Slow Hands’ singer admitted he has no idea when the ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ hitmakers will have the chance to be in the same room to discuss getting the band back together because they are all so committed to their solo ventures.
Speaking on a 2021 episode of ITV’s ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’, he said of a possible reunion: “I don’t know … no-one really talks about it. Still talk to them all the time. There’s a couple of little babies from them lads. Everyone’s having their own success on their own. I’m enjoying what I’m doing.
“Of course, if everyone wanted to do it, I’d be down for it … you kind of need to all get in the same room and have the chat, but I don’t know when that would be.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs says he and his former Oasis bandmate Liam Gallagher wouldn’t accept knighthoods.
The Britpop group’s rhythm guitarist says he would turn down the royal honour if he was ever offered it, and frontman Liam would, too, however, he believes guitarist and songwriter Noel, Liam’s arch-nemesis brother, would jump at the chance to be Sir Noel Gallagher.
While co-hosting Radio X with Toby Tarrant on Sunday (09.05.23), during King Charles’ coronation weekend, the DJ said: “Sir Bonehead has a nice ring to it.”
To which, Bonehead replied: “Probably got a good ring to it, but no I wouldn’t take it.
“Not that I’m anti-royal or anti-this, no I just wouldn’t do it. Doesn’t even sound right, does it?”
He continued: “I wouldn’t have it and I don’t think Liam [Gallagher] would have it. Bet Noel would, wouldn’t he? He’d have to be with the sirs.”
Liam said last year that if he was given a knighthood or other honour by the head of state, it is unlikely he would accept because he doesn’t want to go to Buckingham Palace and “bend down”.
He told NME: “Unless they delivered it to my f****** door through the letterbox, like the Royal Mail f****** should do . . .
“I’m certainly not going there and bending down for no ****.”
He also quipped that the late Queen Elizabeth was “like a little Jedi”.
The ‘Everything’s Electric’ star was a fan of the monarch and compared her to the mystical knights of protection from the ‘Star Wars’ franchise.
He said: “I like the Queen. I think she’s like a little Jedi. She’s alright, man.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Kurt Vile has hailed his late bandmate Rob Laakso a “musical genius”.
The guitarist and keyboard player – who became a full-time member of Kurt’s The Violators in 2013 – tragically died on May 4 from cancer at the age of 44, and Kurt has thanked fans for their outpouring of love and the “nice things” shared about the musician.
He began a lengthy Instagram post: “This one’s been hard to get out of the fog in my brain and into words for a long time now (and I mean for the last year or so, not just since rob’s passing) Tributes are never easy but this one is just too close to the bone I guess. Thank you to everyone who reached out. It’s been beautiful seeing all the nice things written about Rob, because yeah he was quiet but there was so much to him. Musical genius. Recording whizz. Best husband and father. Mamie-Claire we love you so much you’ve always been the greatest. All the things you’re writing are beautiful and killing me at the same time. (sic)”
Kurt continues to share his many memories of Rob, who he “worshipped” from his days in the college rock group The Wicked Farleys.
He recalled: “Rob and I worked close together on the albums B’lieve and Bottle (him coproducing many of the tracks alongside me, engineering often, playing many different instruments, slaying with ease.)
But Wakin was his first full time violator record and you can see the shift to epic proportions from smoke ring to it. I’ve clocked in so many hours on the road and in front of amps with him but so have the violators Jesse first and Kyle later. So I’ll never get all these stories down in one post and I’m just gonna have to jump around but… I used to follow Rob around in Boston in the early days becuz I worshipped his first band the wicked farleys so that was definitely my mission when moving there for a couple yrs in the start of the aughts… luckily he took me in and recorded me even tho I was awkward and shy (good thing so was he but just in different ways) … later some of that stuff ended up on the Swirlies album Cats of the Wild, thanks to Rob…”
Kurt, 43, has shared a link (www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-rob-laakso-and-family) to a GoFundMe page launched to support Rob’s widow Mamie-Claire Cornelius and their two children.
At the time of writing, they’ve raised more than the $75,000 goal set, with donations totalling $102,910.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance World Tour’ could make the megastar more than $2 billion, according to Forbes.
The revered financial publication believes the ‘Cuff It’ hitmaker will make $2.4 billion from ticket sales alone by the end of September.
Tickets for the Grammy winner’s first global jaunt in seven years are being sold for up to $700.
This is under the assumption that the 41-year-old singer will also bank a “considerable share” of the money made from merchandise sales.
Beyonce added additional London shows after fans scrambled to get tickets.
The ‘Halo’ hitmaker has not hit the road since ‘The Formation World Tour’ in 2016 but will be back on stage with a run of more than 40 shows across the globe to celebrate the success of her comeback album ‘Renaissance’, which soared to the top of the charts when it was released in July 2022.
Live Nation announced back in February that due to “high fan demand”, the UK leg will now have five stops at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May and June.
The mammoth jaunt opens on May 10 at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden before making stops throughout Europe, the Welsh capital of Cardiff, Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light in the North of England and eventually going on to other major cities such as Paris, London, Marseille, and Amsterdam.
The tour will then continue across North America with shows in Toronto, Chicago, East Rutherford, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Houston in July and run through until late September when the ‘Crazy In Love’ hitmaker will wrap things up in New Orleans.
The ‘Break My Soul’ hitmaker will also be running her BEYGood initiative throughout the tour, which offers scholarship funds and works with sustainability brands.
If she does make $2 billion, she will have outsold Taylor Swift’s estimated earnings for the ‘Eras World Tour’ by $600 million.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — NewJeans have broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest K-pop act to reach a billion streams on Spotify.
The girl group – comprising Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein – only have six songs on the streaming platform: ‘Attention’, ‘Hurt’, ‘Hype Boy’, ‘Cookie’, ‘Zero’, ‘Ditto’, and ‘OMG’.
The latter is their most-streamed hit, with a whopping 320 million streams, as of March 8.
The rising group reached the milestone in just 219 days, beating BLACKPINK star Lisa’s record of 411 days from October 2022, and BTS member Jungkook’s 409 days on March 27.
The news comes after the girl’s label teased they will be releasing a new album this summer.
Fans of the band can expect something “new and unique” from the upcoming collection, which they finished in early April.
Min Hee-jin, their label ADOR’s CEO, told Billboard: “It was actually yesterday that they finished recording for the new album that is scheduled to be released this summer.
“I wanted to break the stereotype that only certain styles of music would be able to succeed in the so-called mainstream industry.
“In the albums going forward, NewJeans will continue to strive to present something new and unique to exceed the expectations of their fans. NewJeans members keep growing and growing, and we can’t wait to surprise the world again.”
The album news came after the girls teamed up with Coca-Cola on their latest single ‘Zero’.
Earlier this year, Danielle said fans will need to be “open-minded” with their new music.
She told NME: “I want our listeners to be open-minded to new music and have them listen to things that maybe they haven’t heard before.
“You can always find what you really like by trying new things and challenging yourself.”
Minji hinted that their new tunes will traverse a number of genres.
She added: “I think pulling R’n’B and hip-hop together, a little bit pop and you know, New Jersey club, mixing the genres into one song gives a more unique kind of sound.
“So to try [mix more genres] in the future, I think that would be really fun.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Pusha T has postponed his UK and European tour for a second time due to “production issues”.
The ‘Mercy’ rapper was set to hit the road in support of last year’s ‘It’s Almost Dry’ album in 2022, but he was forced to postpone and reschedule the dates – and now there have been further delays.
In a statement on Instagram, he said: “Apologies to my European family, but I have to shift my European tour dates due to production issues.
“After the overwhelming demand and sellouts it breaks my heart.
“We can’t deliver the show we envisioned within the original timeframe, and you all deserve the full ‘It’s Almost Dry’ experience.”
He has since shared new dates – but no venues – with the run kicking off on May 27 in Brussels, Belgium and continuing into June with shows in cities like Barcelona, Paris and Madrid.
In August, he’ll play shows in London, Manchester, Birming and Brisol, while also hitting the likes of Oslo, Norway, Gothenburg, Sweden, two nights in Amsterdamn, Netherlands and more.
The tour had been originally set to kick off on November 30 in Zurich, Germany.
Just days earlier, concert promoter MCD Productions announced the delay, which they also blamed on “production issues”.
They said on social media statement: “The Pusha T tour is postponed to 2023 due to production issues, as we want to bring you the best show possible. Hold on to your tickets for news of rescheduled dates ASAP.”
Last year, Pusha had some serious beef with McDonald’s and dropped a pair of diss tracks aimed at the fast food company.
The first was ‘Spicy Fish Diss Track’ in partnership with sandwich restaurant chain Arby’s.
Poking fun at their fish meal, he raps: “Fillet-O-Fish is s*** and you should be disgusted, how dare you sell a square fish, asking us to trust it.”
Then followed ‘Rib Roast’, in which he spits: “McDonald’s what you selling? Mystery meat?/ Pop up and go away, what does history teach?
“Mickey D’s McRib, you ain’t it in the streets.”

Pusha T’s new UK and European tour dates

MAY 2023:
27 – Brussels, Belgium

JUNE 2023:
1 – Barcelona, Spain
2 – Aarhus, Denmark
3 – Paris, France
8 – Madrid, Spain
9 – Porto, Portugal

AUGUST 2023:
1 – London, UK
2 – Manchester, UK
4 – Katowice, Poland
7 – Birmingham, UK
8 – Bristol, UK
10 – Oslo, Norway
11 – Gothenburg, Sweden
12 – Helsinki, Finland
13 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
15 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
17 – Copenhagen, Denmark
18 – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — The Weeknd wants to “kill The Weeknd” and revert back to his real name.
The 33-year-old singer is on “a cathartic path right now” and though he may move to switching between his alter ego and his birth moniker Abel Tesfaye, he ultimately thinks his next album will be the last under the name fans know him best as.
He told W magazine: “I’m going through a cathartic path right now.
“It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill the Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as the Weeknd… This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
The ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ hitmaker admitted he never wanted to be famous when he started his career.
He said: “I’ve always been the antihero. In the beginning of my career, I didn’t show myself at all. I didn’t want to be famous. For the first two years, no one knew what I looked like.”
But when he finally appeared as The Weeknd, the star’s desire to lead a low-key life hit an “obstacle” in the form of his distinctive big hair.
He said: “The hair became an obstacle for me!
“I went from ‘No one knows who I am’ to ‘Nobody has that hair except The Weeknd.’ I was always trying to hide it.
“When I finally decided to cut it, everybody said, ‘Don’t do it!’ That gave me more reasons to do it. I was so identified with that hair that I had to cut it. I didn’t want to be known for just this or just that.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — N-Dubz star Tulisa has a separate tour bus to her party animal bandmates Dappy and Fazer.
The 34-year-old singer – whose full name is Tulisa Contostavlos – has put her partying ways behind her and prefers to start her day with a clear head, unlike her cousin and bandmate.
Tulisa is quoted by the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column as saying: “In the mornings, because I’d be waking up ready to go to the gym, they’d still be going.”
N-Dubz have a number of shows across the UK this summer.
Last month, the trio released their latest single, ‘February’, their first since signing a new global deal with EMI Records.
In 2022, the three-piece reunited and went on a massive sold-out arena tour – one of the biggest music tours of the year – playing four nights at London’s O2 Arena.
The band also played to more than 250,000 fans in 27 sold-out arenas across Britain.
N-Dubz dominated the UK charts with their first two albums, ‘Uncle B’ and ‘Against all Odds’, with both going platinum.
The trio’s third album, ‘Love.Live.Life’ from 2010 charted at number seven and became their third successive platinum-selling album, but the group then took an 11-year hiatus to pursue solo careers before announcing their reunion in May 2022, marked by the release of single ‘Charmer’ and a sold-out UK arena tour in November and December.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Take That have gone in “a new direction” for their first album in six years.
The pop trio – comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen – flew out to Savannah, Georgia to work on the follow-up to 2017’s ‘Wonderland’, to work on the record, and fans shouldn’t have too much longer to hear it.
Howard told BBC Radio 2: “We went out to Savannah to actually record an album. We all did all our own stuff and we wrote together. We’re pretty much in there, now. We’re not far from being finished.”
On what fans can expect, he coyly teased: “We’re very excited because it’s kind of a new direction for us as well.
“There’s some cracking songs, well, I’ve got to say that. It’s sounding absolutely brilliant.”
The ‘Patience’ hitmakers declared they are “back for good” after reuniting at King Charles’ Coronation Concert.
They put on a spectacular performance at the historical show at Windsor Castle on Sunday (07.05.23), where they gave the live debut of their euphoric dance version of their 2008 number one hit ‘Greatest Day’ with Calum Scott and DJ Robin Schulz joining them onstage.
And they promised fans they have “much more to come”.
Alongside a clip of their performance, they wrote on Instagram: “It was incredible to perform live together again for the first time in 4 years and there is so much more to come. We’re back for good.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Shine’ hitmakers are set to play American Express presents BST Hyde Park on July 1.
Take That said: “We’re so excited to be back together and that BST Hyde Park will be the first stage we perform on in almost four years. We have incredible memories of playing there in 2016, and we can’t wait to see everyone in July.”
Sugababes and The Script will open for the trio.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Doja Cat admits her last two albums were “cash-grabs”.
The ‘Kiss Me More’ hitmaker – who can be known to retract her statements on Twitter – has told her 5.5 million Twitter followers she will no longer be releasing “mediocre pop” and she claimed 2021’s ‘Planet Her’ and 2019’s ‘Hot Pink’ were just about making a tonne of money.
Doja, 27, also went back on a previous post in which she announced her new album would be called ‘Hellmouth’, now claiming her next LP will be titled ‘First Of All’.
She tweeted: “planet her and hot pink were cash-grabs and yall fell for it. now i can go disappear somewhere and touch grass with my loved ones on an island while yall weep for mediocre pop. (sic)”
She added: “its not called hEllMoUth either its called “First of All” and yes I’m announcing the album title right now. (sic)”
Doja recently declared she’s done with pop because it’s no longer “exciting”.
The musician made the admission in a series of posts on Twitter in which she told her followers she plans to focus her efforts on rap in future even though she admits many of her spoken word verses are “corny”.
She wrote: “No more pop … Pop isn’t exciting to me anymore. I don’t wanna make it.”
The singer added: “I also agree with everyone who said the majority of my rap verses are mid and corny. I know they are. I wasn’t trying to prove anything I just enjoy making music but I’m getting tired of hearing y’all say that I can’t so I will …”
The singer went on to tease her fans by joking that her new album is gonna be a “french conceptual experimental country/bohemian fusion with the essence of blue-grass. (sic)”
She added: “Ima finish this album y’all don’t worry.”
Doja previously teased an entirely different project, telling Variety: “I want to explore punk. But not pop-punk. I feel like we have enough pop-punk artists right now. And if there needs to be more, then let there be more, but I don’t think I’m the one to do it.
“I want to explore more of a raw, unfiltered, hardcore punk sort of thing. It’s just something that I’m doing for my own personal fun – getting some drummers and guitarists together. And I don’t even know if that’s gonna make it out there.”

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Ed Sheeran is set to perform at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday (11.05.23).
The ‘Bad Habits’ singer – who just won a $100 million copyright battle over his track ‘Thinking Out Loud’ – will take to the stage at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
The star-studded bash will be hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.
Ed joins a line-up including Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jelly Roll, Keith Urban, Morgan Wallen.
Country icon Dolly, 77, is set to give the live debut of the lead single, ‘World On Fire’, from her upcoming rock album, ‘Rockstar’, to close proceedings.
A livestream will be up on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch at 7pm EDT/6pm CDT/4pm PDT.
The full rebroadcast will be available to watch after the show on Prime Video and will be available to stream the next day on Friday, May 12, starting at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT on the Amazon Music App and for free on Amazon Freevee.
It comes after busker-turned-superstar Ed, 32, stood on a car to perform an impromptu gig on the streets of New York and took to the top of a double-decker tourist bus in Los Angeles for another free concert last week.
The New York gig came a day after Ed won his latest legal battle after he was accused of copying elements of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get it On’ and was sued by the heirs of the song’s co-writer, Ed Townsend.
The singer vehemently denied any wrongdoing and the case ended last Thursday (04.05.23), with the Grammy winner being cleared of the plagiarism accusations.
Speaking outside the court, the pop megastar hailed his victory as a win for songwriters everywhere.
He explained: “I’m just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will not allow myself to be a piggy bank.
“I’m obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and it looks like I’m not having to retire from my day job after all. At the same time I’m unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.
“We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day all over the world.
“These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before ‘Let’s Get It On’ was written and will be used to create music long after we are all gone.
“They are in a songwriter’s alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. No one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way that no one owns the colour blue.”
Ed concluded by revealing he’d been forced to miss his grandmother’s funeral in Ireland to be in Manhattan for the trial and he “won’t get that time back”.

Source: IconInsider.com

OHMYGOSSIP — Noel Gallagher has teased that “not one song” is “stylistically” the same on his upcoming album.
The former Oasis guitarist has revealed that ‘Council Skies’ is his first High Flying Birds record that features his “actual” live band, and although it’s “very eclectic”, it’s not as “far out” as his experimental psychedelic rock effort, ‘Who Built The Moon?’.
In a cover interview with the Mancunian, he said: “This is the first album which my actual band all played on, because usually I would do it all myself.
“When you eventually get to hear it, it’s very eclectic. It’s not as far out as [2017’s] ‘Who Built The Moon?’, but there’s a run of the first 6 or 7 songs, not one song that follows the other is the same stylistically.”
As for the lyrical content, the 55-year-old rocker – who is going through a divorce from his second wife, Sara MacDonald, after 22 years together – says it’s a very “reflective album”.
He shared: “If you can put yourself back into that period, we didn’t really know what the future was going to be because none of us had lived through a pandemic before. We were kind of stood, looking at the skies going ‘What the f***? What is the next few years gonna be like?’ […] I was just reflecting on how I’d got to where I’d got to and I had a lot of time to sit and think about it. It’s a reflective album, more than anything.”
Noel – who has sons Donovan, 15, and Sonny, 12, with Sara, and 23-year-old daughter Anais Gallagher with first wife Meg Mathews – is set to return to his home city of Manchester to perform a massive outdoor gig at Wythenshawe Park on August 26, which couldn’t be more fitting, as it’s in the middle of the largest council estate.
He told the publication: “My promoters were saying that they were thinking of doing this regular thing in Wythenshawe Park, and this is before they knew anything about the album. Ironically, this is gonna be my first British gig promoting an album called ‘Council Skies’, in the middle of the biggest council estate in Europe. It just all fell into place which is f****** magical.”
‘Council Skies’ is released on June 2.

Source: IconInsider.com